Nearly a quarter of Americans find attacks on Jews ‘understandable’

Nearly a quarter of Americans believe that recent attacks on Jews are “understandable” and 13 per cent “justifiable”, according to a poll by US Jewry’s premier counter-extremism organisation, the ADL.

The survey was conducted in the wake of a number of incidents that included the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy workers at an American Jewish Committee event; the murder of a Colorado Jewish woman after a pro-hostage rally was firebombed; and an arson attack on the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

Nearly a quarter thought these were “false flag” operations; more than one in five, that they were not antisemitic; 15 per cent, that the violence was “necessary”; and 14 per cent did not consider them hate crimes.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said: “As the Jewish community is still reeling from recent antisemitic attacks that killed three people, it’s unacceptable that one-quarter of Americans find this unspeakable violence understandable or justified – an alarming sign of how antisemitic narratives are accepted by the mainstream.